You've just completed the puzzle behind the "THIS WAY" sign, and have passed through the door to the "Hitler" room.

But you can't shake that feeling that you've done this many times before - you just can't explain how.

In any case, you figure out that "Hitler" becomes "WORSTHUMAN", and are about to put those letters into the plexiglass, when suddenly, you see a sealed envelope on the floor. It reads, "To the adventurer," and it feels like there's a note inside it.

If you've found this, that means I was able to break the loop. However, if you keep doing things the way you've done them before, you will remain trapped in the loop.

I'm still on the outside, and I could only get into the loop once. However, to completely break out of the loop, you have to remember "reversal." If you remember this, you will be able to get out. Starting now.

If the loop is broken, everything will change when you return, and you will be able to completely escape. But you will still need to remember. I will help as much as I can without being found out.

Well, "reversal" isn't precisely a bell, but it seems to signal some sort of beginning. Maybe I can apply Sebald Code, starting from "now".

If when to to I...no, that's gibberish. Maybe it's not every eight words, but I have a feeling there's something hidden in that message somehow...Being a Lemony Snicket fan rather than a cryptic crosswords one doesn't always help on here...

Well, "reversal" isn't precisely a bell, but it seems to signal some sort of beginning. Maybe I can apply Sebald Code, starting from "now". It seems so much simpler than that - "reversal" is probably just doing something backwards...hmmm. And "starting now" - that might mean we have to reverse something...right now?

If when to to I...no, that's gibberish. Maybe it's not every eight words, but I have a feeling there's something hidden in that message somehow...Being a Lemony Snicket fan rather than a cryptic crosswords one doesn't always help on here... I'd forgotten about those books!

What was the last thing you did? That would be going through the door, but... Try un-doing it, if possible. ...it has closed behind you, so it cannot be undone.

Also, try forming NAMUHTSROW out of the letters. You try that, and pull the lever on the box. Sure enough, the letters drop, but this time you feel a rush of wind come through the room. Something has definitely changed, but...you can't tell just what.

In any case, the door opens, and after some time in the next room, you solve the pillar puzzle, opening the door to the room with the big red button in it. All you have with you is the note from Brigitte. But that button - dare you push it...?

Maybe if you very gently poked it so you're not pressing hard...that might work? Even poking the button causes it to press all the way, and sure enough, the floor opens up, and you begin to fall...and fall....

Sometime while you fall, you black out, but land hard. Something jabs into your thigh, but fortunately, you didn't whack your head.

You open your eyes - whoa, this is weird.

You seem to be inside a giant cube. Each side, including the one you're standing on, has a large pyramid in the center. Each pyramid has a round hole at the top, and from each side of each pyramid extends a pathway - more like a sidewalk, actually - to each adjacent side of the cube. In this way, each pyramid is has a path leading to four other pyramids.

In any case, every other part of this cube (besides the pathways and pyramids) is grassy. Oh, and there's a bone - about the size of a human femur - floating in the exact center of the cube. Weird.

Um...well, okay. Exactly how large are these pyramids and this cube? Are we talking Great Pyramid of Giza-size? No, not that big. Each side of the cube looks to be about a 50-by-50 foot square. The pyramids are centered on each side of the cube, and have a square base, about 15 feet on each side. They also appear to be about 12 feet high.

Just for kicks, and even though the pyramids have flat sides, you try walking up the side of this one, and find that it is easy - in fact, gravity appears to shift in your favor, so that walking up the side is as easy as walking on an ordinary flat surface. Odd.

So these pyramids have a round hole at the top? I presume this must have been your entrance...oh wait, never presume or assume ANYTHING on the LTPF, especially with Balin...nevermind. Was it the entrance? Is there another way in or out? Is there some way, as things seem to be antigravity here, to check out the holes in the tops of the other pyramids?

So these pyramids have a round hole at the top? Correct I presume this must have been your entrance...oh wait, never presume or assume ANYTHING on the LTPF, especially with Balin...nevermind. Sage advice =) Was it the entrance? Not at all - the hole is not very big. Maybe a couple of inches in diameter, at most. Is there another way in or out? It doesn't seem that way. Is there some way, as things seem to be antigravity here, to check out the holes in the tops of the other pyramids? Well, if gravity doesn't apply, you could probably get there by walking. But from here, they all appear to be the same size.

Hmm. Would the bone fit in the holes? It probably would, but it's still floating in the center of the cube. You'll need to find a way to get it. If you look down the holes, can you see anything? Hear anything? Smell anything? Nothing. Is there any other opening in any of the pyramids or any part of the cube? Nope.

Something odd just happened - you could swear you just heard a voice whisper "Caesar...." And what exactly was it that jabbed into your thigh when you landed?

Blasted lack of gravity not letting us...wait, if there really is no gravity, how are we sticking to the pyramids? What are we wearing, anyway? (Well, "I", but you know what I mean, Balin. And is our "person" a H/A/M, H/A/F, or do you care?)

Caesar?

(At first I assumed it was the point of a pyramid. Is there a knife somewhere hereabouts? Brutus?)

Blasted lack of gravity not letting us...wait, if there really is no gravity, how are we sticking to the pyramids? Well, there's gravity, but it appears to be adapting to whichever way you decide to walk. What are we wearing, anyway? (Well, "I", but you know what I mean, Balin. And is our "person" a H/A/M, H/A/F, or do you care?) You're the same as from the first adventure - male, early 20s, 5-foot-6 or 7, gray Patriots T-shirt, red gym shorts with pockets.

Caesar? Yes, "Caesar". Not sure what it means, though.

(At first I assumed it was the point of a pyramid. Is there a knife somewhere hereabouts? Brutus?) Not at first glance, no.

Check to see if you've been wounded. Is anything attached to your thigh? Are you bleeding? Is there anything, anything at all, in this room besides the pyramids, grass, paths and bone? Look through all the grass CAREFULLY to make sure there's nothing hiding. I'm becoming worried about a potential "snake in the grass"...please tell me we haven't been bitten by a poisonous snake...(well, if we have, then tell me we have, but you know...) Is it possible to die in this puzzle?

Check to see if you've been wounded. You check your thigh - no wound. Is anything attached to your thigh? You pat your thigh, and realize there is something in your pocket. You reach into your pocket and pull out a Rubik's cube. Interesting. And the orange side is blinking on and off - weird. Are you bleeding? Nope. Is there anything, anything at all, in this room besides the pyramids, grass, paths and bone? Just you. Look through all the grass CAREFULLY to make sure there's nothing hiding. There's nothing in the grass anywhere. I'm becoming worried about a potential "snake in the grass"...please tell me we haven't been bitten by a poisonous snake...(well, if we have, then tell me we have, but you know...) No snakes. Is it possible to die in this puzzle? No, you cannot die. Nor will you be able to die in Part 3.

Aha. Maybe the sides of the cube have to do with the sides of our cube ... Ooh, good thought.

Try moving to another side of the big cube. Check the Rubik's Cube again. You walk along the left path and head up the left side. Sure enough, not only does the gravity appear to shift in your favor again (so the left side feels like the bottom side), but the yellow side of the cube is now blinking.

Try twisting one of the small cube's sides slightly. Does the big cube move at all? Oddly, none of the sides of the small cube will shift.

The cube is in a solved state, right? Yes.

Will we eventually encounter a Megaminx? Given that I don't know what a Megaminx is, no.

Can you open up the cube? No, it appears to be unopenable. If that even is a word. Is there a bone inside? No.

What happens if you rotate the small cube in your hand? Nothing happens. You try tossing it in the air - still nothing happens. The yellow side is still blinking.

The most relevant Caesar I can think of would probably be the Caesar cipher, but I don't know what the plaintext, key, or cipertext could be ... NAMUHTSROW doesn't yield any results. Hmm. Hmmm indeed...this might be a good thing to hold in the back of your mind.

Do the pyramids have entrances? No - they only have that small hole in the top. Are all of the sides identical? Yes.

So I take it you cannot simply jump high enough from the apex of one of the pyramids to grab the bone?

And speaking of that, let me just clarify that the apexes (apices?) of the pyramids point toward the center, so the pyramids are within the cube with their bases facing out against the walls? and furthermore, that the sides of the pyramids' bases are parallel to the edges of the cube?

So I take it you cannot simply jump high enough from the apex of one of the pyramids to grab the bone? You give that a try, but come up well short of the bone.

And speaking of that, let me just clarify that the apexes (apices?) of the pyramids point toward the center, so the pyramids are within the cube with their bases facing out against the walls? and furthermore, that the sides of the pyramids' bases are parallel to the edges of the cube? Both of these observations are correct.

Oh, and just to think out loud, maybe inserting the bone into one of the pyramids will unlock the corresponding 3x3 face of the Rubik's cube to rotate... Maybe, or it might do something else...you're not sure. But first, you need to find a way to actually get a hold of the bone, or at least move it to the ground on one side of the cube.

If you throw the Rubik's cube at the bone, maybe you can knock it down. (If this is a bad idea, don't do it, but I'm just thinking out loud here) That sounds like a rather good idea, so you toss the cube at the bone, and hit it squarely. The cube falls back into your hands, while the bone sails into the grass on the opposite side of the cube. You're on the yellow side right now, so the bone has landed on the white side.

So go over to the white side and put the bone in the hole of the "white" pyramid (it's probably not white itself, but we need a shorthand way to call it or else instructions will get very cumbersome). You insert the bone into the hole at the top of the white pyramid. Suddenly, the pyramid vibrates, and you hear a noise below you. The bone is ejected from the pyramid, and it lands in your hands, as the top of the pyramid closes to a point.

You walk back down the pyramid, and notice that large screens have appeared on two sides of the pyramid.

To help with navigation, here is the original orientation of the large cube (using the colors as indicated by the Rubik's cube), from when you first landed:

You landed on the orange side. To your left was the yellow side. In front of you was the green side. To your right was the white side. Behind you was the blue side. Above you was the red side.

Do you still have the bone? Can you go insert it in a pyramid on another side? If so, do it. How about the orange pyramid?

Also, please clarify the location of the screens. Are they on the wall? If on the wall, what is their location relative to the pyramids? On the pyramid? Have the walls with screens actually become a screen? How large are the screens. I guess I'm having a hard time visualizing how you can have a screen on a wall when you also have a giant pyramid on it.

Do you still have the bone? Can you go insert it in a pyramid on another side? If so, do it. How about the orange pyramid? The orange pyramid shakes, the bone ejects, and the screens appear.

Again, one of the screens (facing the blue side) is blank. The other one (facing the green side) also has a touch-screen QWERTY keyboard on the bottom, but this one reads:

Blue moon of barrel

Three-tier

Also, please clarify the location of the screens. Are they on the wall? If on the wall, what is their location relative to the pyramids? On the pyramid? Have the walls with screens actually become a screen? How large are the screens. The screens are on the sides of the pyramids. They're about 5 feet by 5 feet each, slightly lower than the exact center of each side.I guess I'm having a hard time visualizing how you can have a screen on a wall when you also have a giant pyramid on it. Sorry for the confusion.

Type each of the following words into the keyboard by the screen on the orange side: Blue moon --> Once? Rare? Full? Beer? Lager? Ale? Song? Barrel --> Cask? Keg? [Can anyone think of something that is a synonymn of barreling into something?]

Does anything change?

Into the keyboard on the white side, I can't figure out any pattern to the answers yet. Try typing more questions and see if it gives you more answers:

What do I do now? What is your name? What is your favorite color? What is your favorite? Which is your favorite?

Put the bone into the holes on the pyramids on each of the remaining sides and describe what changes each time.

A couple of things before I answer these questions - it is irrelevant which side of the pyramid each screen is on, but it is relevant which side of the cube the screens are on. For example, it's irrel that the screens on the white pyramid face the red and orange sides, but it is relevant that a) the screens are on opposite sides of the pyramid (all of the pyramids will have the screens on opposite sides) and b) that these particular screens are on the white side of the cube.

I will answer all questions asked about the "pyramid puzzles" in purple.

All right, on to the adventure...

Type each of the following words into the keyboard by the screen on the orange side:

Blue moon --> Once? Rare? Full? Beer? Lager? Ale? Song? Barrel --> Cask? Keg? [Can anyone think of something that is a synonymn of barreling into something?] You try all of these, and the screen for the "white" puzzle reads: No to all

Into the keyboard on the white side, I can't figure out any pattern to the answers yet. Try typing more questions and see if it gives you more answers: On the orange pyramid, you type these questions, and the screen displays the following answers:

What do I do now? You try to escape. But you won't escape. Never...ha haWhat is your name? Sir Lancelot of CamelotWhat is your favorite color? Blue. No, wait...What is your favorite? Not you, that's for sure.Which is your favorite? How dare you ask me that!

Put the bone into the holes on the pyramids on each of the remaining sides and describe what changes each time.

Each pyramid yields a screen with a puzzle and keyboard, along with a blank screen on the pyramid side opposite it.

The yellow pyramid reads:

Solve a mystery now? YesStare at me? EveryoneRigid and firm? AnchormanThe end of the world? FirstOrigami tomorrow? TestNine people are cool? Libel

The green pyramid reads:

Munching on a handful of crackers, the sexton rang the twelve o'clock bell.

The red pyramid reads:

Mother to the newspaper

Two-tier

And lastly, the blue pyramid reads:

"It's taken an infinity for the four PM El train to arrive!" said the sick man.

"It's taken an infinity for the four PM the train to arrive!" said the sick man.

Green: Crackers --> Wafers? Nuts? Snack? Oyster? Soup? Crazy? Insane? Beaks? No to allBell--> ring? ding? This is close dong? And this is closer; No to rest silver? alexander? graham? telephone? ringer?

Yellow: The answers start with the middle letter of the question. Correct. The rule is: if the question has an even number of letters, take the two middle ones, and start and end the answer with them. So, for instance, if the question had ten letters, the fifth letter would start the answer, and the sixth letter would end it. If the question has an odd number of letters, start and end the answer with the middle letter. And the answer must be one work, if possible. ~~$p0|L3R~~

Suddenly, the QWERTY keyboard on the yellow screen disappears, and the screen deletes everything except the puzzle statement. You hear a "ping" on the other side of the pyramid, and go around to investigate. The screen that was originally blank now has a touch-screen QWERTY keyboard on its bottom. The main part of the screen is asking for a password, and it gives the hint "color".

NON-TYPO BLOOPER from my 11/11 post at 12:50 AM: The orange pyramid has the "Blue moon of barrel" MTI, and the white pyramid has the CA rulebreaker. I swapped them in that post. Sorry for the confusion.

weird, the "more than one word starting with the same letter" rule fits all of your CA answers on that screen so far. Ain't coincidence funny? ;)

On the white screen, let's type some more questions: Who what when where why? Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away? Who are you? What is your favorite color? Why is everybody always picking on me? The first Noel, the angels did say? Do you like the chicken dance? Can you do the chicken dance? Any boy can do everything finely? Finely everything do can boy any? Balin?

weird, the "more than one word starting with the same letter" rule fits all of your CA answers on that screen so far. Ain't coincidence funny? ;) It sure is =)

On the white screen, let's type some more questions: Who what when where why? What about "how"?Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away? CAWho are you? Who who, who who...What is your favorite color? Blue againWhy is everybody always picking on me? Michael Brown...The first Noel, the angels did say? I doubt the shepherds had LTPF experience...Do you like the chicken dance? Not oftenCan you do the chicken dance? Can't everyone?Any boy can do everything finely? Great - he's insane!Finely everything do can boy any? Insane, he's grate!Balin? Who asks for me?

For the orange: Oyster --> Clam? Mollusk? Pearl? This one Bivalve? Raw? if it's Pearl, I have a feeling this one might be Mother of Pearl, but I don't know how you would get from Blue Moon to ___ to Mother. It is "mother of pearl"; since you know the answer, try backtracking, and going from "mother" to "blue moon".

Blue moon(mother) of pearl

Three-tier

Green: Crackers --> Cheez-It, Sunshine, Saltine, Wasa None of theseBell --> song No - remember, it was closest to "ding" and "dong".

Green: Bell--> it seems like it couldn't be either of these, but since I can't think of anything else that's closer to ding and dong than what I've already guessed... dingdong? ding-dong? Crackers --> Lance? Hostess?

Green: Bell--> it seems like it couldn't be either of these, but since I can't think of anything else that's closer to ding and dong than what I've already guessed... dingdong? ding-dong? Neither. HINT: It comes from an old (and bad) joke.Crackers --> Lance? Hostess? Neither

Orange --> (mother) Father? Parent? Relative? Boss around? Boss? Rules? Nurturing? Nurture? Pink Floyd? The Wall? Dearest? Dear? Brother? Daughter? Son? Sister? Tongue? Ship? God (as in godmother)? Grand? This one Hen? Cow? Sow? that's all I can come up with, but none of those fits anything I can come up with for Blue Moon...hmm. Help from anyone out there? See below

As with the white and yellow pyramids, the screen deletes everything except the puzzle statement, and the keyboard disappears. The other screen on this pyramid (the orange one) is now asking for a password - it gives the hint "color" and a touch-screen keyboard appears. And you hear that voice say "Caesar" again.

NOTE: The "Blue Moon" -> "Canyon" connection was more difficult than I would have guessed - sorry. Here's the obligatory link.

An idea: If telegraph = wire, then Mother --> Goose --> Down? Down to the wire? All correct - $p0|l3r

Down to the wire

Mother -> Goose -> DownNewspaper -> Telegraph -> Wire

As with the three other solved pyramids, the puzzle screen deletes everything except the puzzle statement, and the other screen now asks for a password, giving the hint "color". And that voice says "Caesar" again.

Now you've only got the blue and green puzzles - the regular idiomuzzles - to solve.

As an interesting aside based on Whirligig's guess, I recently found out where that expression came from.

I had just assumed that it referred to something becoming whiter than just merely pale, as a sign of that something being seriously amiss, and then came to refer to something being socially or morally out of place. But in fact a "pale" is an archaic word for a line made of stakes, as in a property line, and it then took on the metaphorical meaning of "boundary". Just thought the crowd here is one that would enjoy the edification (and possible scrund-curing).

That whole thing with the screens, puzzle statement, password, "color," and "Caesar" happens again. Now only the green pyramid is left to solve.

As an interesting aside based on Whirligig's guess, I recently found out where that expression came from.

I had just assumed that it referred to something becoming whiter than just merely pale, as a sign of that something being seriously amiss, and then came to refer to something being socially or morally out of place. But in fact a "pale" is an archaic word for a line made of stakes, as in a property line, and it then took on the metaphorical meaning of "boundary". Just thought the crowd here is one that would enjoy the edification (and possible scrund-curing). I did not know that - cool!

Try typing each puzzle statement in, shifted by the number of letters in the color of the wall it's on. (Example: red wall, get puzzle statement from first screen, type it into the second screen on that wall, but with the letters shifted three places to the right. If that doesn't work, try three places to the left).

Try typing each puzzle statement in, shifted by the number of letters in the color of the wall it's on. (Example: red wall, get puzzle statement from first screen, type it into the second screen on that wall, but with the letters shifted three places to the right. If that doesn't work, try three places to the left). None of that works for any of the screens.

It's good for quickly trying things. Ive tried putting some of the answers (like "beyond the pale") and trying all possible shifts to see if anything looks good, for instance whether the name of a color, or a word in one of the other puzzles, appears somewhere in the string of letters. I also thought of trying synonyms like "nacre" for "mother of pearl", to see if it can be transformed to another word. So far everything gives gibberish.

Ive tried putting some of the answers (like "beyond the pale") and trying all possible shifts to see if anything looks good, for instance whether the name of a color, or a word in one of the other puzzles, appears somewhere in the string of letters. I also thought of trying synonyms like "nacre" for "mother of pearl", to see if it can be transformed to another word. So far everything gives gibberish.

You decide to sit down and think.

-This pyramid...thingy...would probably be kind enough to give you a number, so you wouldn't have to try endless combinations.

-"Color"...what if it's a color that needs shifting?

And my thought of a "mother of Pearl" synonym would be "Hester," but that's not relevant in any possible way.

Hmm, shift the name of each color This part sounds right... by the number of letters in the puzzle statement? ...but this - well, there are far too many letters in each puzzle statement. Maybe you ought to take a closer look at each puzzle sttaement....

So that's LWXIT, RUDQJH, TGF, HNUUXF, SDQQZ, FPYI. To make a long story short, these all work. As each correct password is entered, the screens are covered by the pyramid walls, and the top of the pyramid opens. Out of each pyramid emerges a long, thick metal pole, reaching to just short of the exact center of the pyramid.

When all six passcodes have been entered, and all six poles have emerged, a giant ball of electricity forms in the exact center, where the poles almost meet. Suddenly, the electricty is discharged into the ground, and a large metal sphere, several feet in diameter, appears, connected to the ends of all six poles.

Oookay, that's freaky. And why am I reminded of the metallic-run thing from Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole now???? I'm not sure I want to go near that thing...but what can we observe about it from here, other than that it's a "large metal sphere connected to the ends of all the poles"? Can you be more specific than "several feet in diameter" on size?

I'm not sure I want to go near that thing...but what can we observe about it from here, other than that it's a "large metal sphere connected to the ends of all the poles"? Nothing much. And by the way, the poles are pretty thick - about a foot and a half in diameter. You could probably walk on them, given the weird gravity in this place. Can you be more specific than "several feet in diameter" on size? Not from down here - if you could get closer to it, you could get a better view.

Try walking up and touching the sphere. You walk up one of the poles and take a look around the sphere. It's just over 8 feet in diameter. On one part of the sphere, there is a door with a six-digit combination. Written on the door are the words "numerical order".

Are the poles fused to the sphere, or is there hope that they could swivel? They are fused to the sphere.

Just before climbing up, you noticed that something had changed about the way the Rubik's cube was glowing. However, you didn't notice exactly what it was.

Thinking back to the one time as a kid when I disassembled a Rubik's cube, I think that the "workings" may have in fact consisted of a ball joint with six rods on it) I've never disassembled one of those, but I think you're right. However, that factoid is actually not relevant to the puzzle.

Take a look at the cube, and see what it's doing. You pull out the Rubik's cube, and all six sides are glowing; however, each side has a different number of squares that are glowing.

Red: 7 squares glowing Blue: 5 White: 3 Green: 6 Yellow: 8 Orange: 1

And it's a shame that the poles don't rotate. Solving a Rubik's cube by running around inside of it would be so fun. Like being a genius hamster. It would indeed be fun - maybe that can be your lateral adventure.

So there seem to be 2 possibilities. Each color is associated with two numbers, one being the number in the corresponding puzzle statement, the other being the number of squares glowing on the corresponding side of the cube. So I'm assuming we need to order the colors by one set of numbers, and then input the other set of numbers in that order.

However, since some of the numbers in the puzzles were 2 digits, and there are only 6 digits on the lock, it would seem that we need to enter the numbers of glowing squares. So that makes 715863.

So there seem to be 2 possibilities. Each color is associated with two numbers, one being the number in the corresponding puzzle statement, the other being the number of squares glowing on the corresponding side of the cube. So I'm assuming we need to order the colors by one set of numbers, and then input the other set of numbers in that order.

However, since some of the numbers in the puzzles were 2 digits, and there are only 6 digits on the lock, it would seem that we need to enter the numbers of glowing squares. So that makes 715863. The lock clicks loudly and the door swings open, allowing access to the inside of the sphere.

You peek inside. There is a chair there, and on the arm of the chair is a red button. These things are showing up everywhere.

Well, I guess there's no way out but to sit in the chair and press the button. You do so. Suddenly, leather straps pin your arms, legs, and chest in place, as you hear a rumbling below you. The next thing you know, you've been propelled to who-knows-where, as you crash into...something.

Behind you, the door opens, as the leather straps retract and release you. Heading through the open door, you drop down into another cubic room, though this one is much smaller than the giant cube.

There's only a couple of things here: a door on the east wall, which is locked; a small table against the north wall; a safe on the south wall that requires a key to open, and is also missing a place for a handle; and on the west wall, a large pane of glass, behind which is a button. Above the glass is a sign: "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS".

I would say having just crashed into the room qualifies as an emergency, so pull the fire alarm, even though nothing is on fire. You reach out and give the alarm a good yank. Suddenly, a pillar rises in the center of the room, with a glass cube on it. Metal rods come out from each corner of the room and hold the cube in place by its corners, while the pillar lowers back into the floor.

Examine the table by the north wall, if you can reach it. Is anything on, inside (if it has drawers), behind or under it? Also, does this cube-shaped room have odd gravity as well? Is the glass cube a Rubik's Cube of any sort?

Examine the table by the north wall, if you can reach it. You can. Is anything on, inside (if it has drawers), behind or under it? There are some words scratched under the table - "numerical order". Also, does this cube-shaped room have odd gravity as well? {No - it appears the gravity switch has been turned back on.} Is the glass cube a Rubik's Cube of any sort? No, it's just ordinary glass. You could probably break it, but not with your bare hands.

Is the "missing place for the handle" a hole, into which a handle could be installed as an extra lock? or do you just mean the door is flat and solid except for the keyhole? If there is a hole for a handle, can you stick your finger or hand into it and reach something inside?

Is the "missing place for the handle" a hole, into which a handle could be installed as an extra lock? or do you just mean the door is flat and solid except for the keyhole? This one.If there is a hole for a handle, can you stick your finger or hand into it and reach something inside?

Are the metal rods attached to the glass, or merely pressed up against it? I was thinking you could maybe rotate the glass cube, because a cube is widest across its diagonals. In any other orientation, the rods would not be able to reach the glass, and the cube would be free.

If the cube is secure, is there any way to reset the alarm pull station? Maybe in that case the part with the rods and pedestal will reverse, and you can then grab the cube off the pedestal before it has a chance to retract back into the floor.

Are the metal rods attached to the glass, or merely pressed up against it? This one; however... I was thinking you could maybe rotate the glass cube, because a cube is widest across its diagonals. In any other orientation, the rods would not be able to reach the glass, and the cube would be free. ...apparently, the metal rods have little niches in their tips for the corners of the cube to fit into, because the cube does not rotate.

If the cube is secure, is there any way to reset the alarm pull station? Maybe in that case the part with the rods and pedestal will reverse, and you can then grab the cube off the pedestal before it has a chance to retract back into the floor. You try to pull the alarm back up. It won't move.

Haha, will if it's not the Rubik's Cube, I'd say the next step is to break the glass with the large bone, eh? I'd say so too, so you pull out the bone and smash the glass cube into tiny bits with it. The key drops to the floor, but the metal rods remain in place.

Take the key and try it on all the locks in the room. (How many are there, again?) There's the door, but it doesn't work there. There's also the safe, and the key fits there. Now all we need is the handle....

The handle? I thought there wasn't one, and assumed the only thing holding the door was the lock, except the problem was the door was flush to the opening and hard to grip even when unlocked.

And about the gravity, I was suggesting that the safe be tipped forward so that the door was facing down, and so that it wouldn't need to be pulled, but would fall open once unlocked. But upon reading back it seems it is attached to the wall somehow, not just free-standing on the floor as I imagined when I made that suggestion.

The handle? I thought there wasn't one, and assumed the only thing holding the door was the lock, except the problem was the door was flush to the opening and hard to grip even when unlocked. Well, there's no spot for a handle, although it appears that there should be.

And about the gravity, I was suggesting that the safe be tipped forward so that the door was facing down, and so that it wouldn't need to be pulled, but would fall open once unlocked. But upon reading back it seems it is attached to the wall somehow, not just free-standing on the floor as I imagined when I made that suggestion. Ah - my bad for not making things clearer.

How far are the ends of the rods from the safe? The ends of the rods are in the center of the room, still in the same shape as before. It's almost like they're still holding the glass cube.

The handle? I thought there wasn't one, and assumed the only thing holding the door was the lock, except the problem was the door was flush to the opening and hard to grip even when unlocked. Well, there's no spot for a handle, although it appears that there should be.

And about the gravity, I was suggesting that the safe be tipped forward so that the door was facing down, and so that it wouldn't need to be pulled, but would fall open once unlocked. But upon reading back it seems it is attached to the wall somehow, not just free-standing on the floor as I imagined when I made that suggestion. Ah - my bad for not making things clearer.

How far are the ends of the rods from the safe? The ends of the rods are in the center of the room, still in the same shape as before. It's almost like they're still holding the glass cube.

How large was the glass cube? Was it comparable in size to the Rubik's cube? They are - er, were - about the same size. Would the Rubik's cube fit in the space left by the glass cube? It probably would, so you put the Rubik's cube in place so it is held by the metal rods. Suddenly, there is a buzz, and the center square on each side pops out - it looks like you will be able to press them as buttons.

hmm... B + L + U + E = 2 + 12 + 21 + 5 = 40? Like that? No, no, that doesn't seem to help at all. It's got to be much simpler than that, and it should help you figure out what order to push the buttons on the Rubik's cube in.

You've seen the words "numerical order" under the table. The last time you saw that was on the door to the large sphere, and that time, you had to associate a certain number with each color, and push the colors in numerical order. You probably have to do the same thing here; however, the numbers from the puzzle statements were not the correct order this time. What other numbers might be the answer?

The glowing squares? Orange, white, blue, green, red, yellow? In a nutshell, it works. The pillar rises from the floor, the metal rods retract, and the cube drops onto the pillar, which lowers back into the floor. As it does so, a metal shaft about a foot long extends from the safe door. The cylindrical shaft has a round hole going through it.

Try unlocking the lock with the key and pulling on the metal pipe to open the door. If that doesn't work, check to see if the bone fits inside the pipe, and if it does, push it in until it reaches the door to see if that dislodges something.

It's a foot long, you say. How wide is it? Enough to stick a finger into? A hand? Your head? Your body? Can you crawl through it? Sit in it? Stand in it? See below

Try unlocking the lock with the key and pulling on the metal pipe to open the door. If that doesn't work, And it doesn't... check to see if the bone fits inside the pipe, and if it does, push it in until it reaches the door to see if that dislodges something. ...but the bone does fit in the hole in the shaft. The hole actually goes from wall to wall of the shaft, not directly into it, but in any case, you stick the bone through the hole, and it makes a perfect safe handle.

You turn the bone-handle, pull open the safe door, and come face-to-face with...another one of those screens-with-a-touch-screen-QWERTY-keyboard. This one reads:

An anti-operatic organization: One that opposes the performance of operas? That opposes opera as an art form? That promotes a form of music or theater which is almost the "opposite" of opera? Or is it wordplay, as in having a name that sounds like the opposite of the title of an opera?

A fruit connoiseur: A person? or an animal (as in a fruit fly or fruit bat)?

An anti-operatic organization: One that opposes the performance of operas? No That opposes opera as an art form? No That promotes a form of music or theater which is almost the "opposite" of opera? No Or is it wordplay, Yes as in having a name that sounds like Yopish the opposite No of the title of an opera? Yes

A fruit connoiseur: A person? Yes or an animal (as in a fruit fly or fruit bat)? So no

Is the name of the organization, the title of the opera backwards? Is a word within the title replaced with its opposite? Neither - think of the organization as "an anti-[title of the opera] organization."

The opera: is it from the 1600s? 1700s? 1800s? This more recent? Written by Mozart? Wagner? Verdi? Strauss? Puccini? someone else? This, and to save you from the LTPF list of composers, it was Bizet.

Will it matter if the name is in the original language or translated to English (e.g. Die Zauberflöte vs. The Magic Flute)? It is the same title in both languages; why this is, I cannot say, for fear of too-big-a-hint. Alternatively, is the opera written in English? No

Nudity: does this involve a specific case of nudity? or nudity in general? A specific type, but not a specific case, of... Full nudity? ...this, 99% of the time. or partial?

So we are looking for something in common between "acme" and "palindrome", that is also shared by a possible explanation for nudity? Yope The only one I can see is that they both end in "me". Not that. Remember, the Internet is your friend.

Explanation for nudity: A specific type of nudity that is 99% of the time full nudity? Does this nudity involve a specific setting? in movies? at a hospital? in a bathroom? at a nude beach? Does this involve nudity in a place where nudity is not generally socially acceptable? or is the nudity in any other manner not generally acceptable?

Explanation for nudity: A specific type of nudity that is 99% of the time full nudity? YesDoes this nudity involve a specific setting? Yope in movies? at a hospital? in a bathroom? at a nude beach? But never one of theseDoes this involve nudity in a place where nudity is not generally socially acceptable? Almost always or is the nudity in any other manner not generally acceptable?

I see that "acme" and "palindrome" were names of puzzle creators in this game. Even if this is irrelevant to this puzzle, it is quite relevant to the LTPF in general is it seems these are real-world lateral puzzles. Maybe we can convince them to do one that involves posting things on the LTPF--a bit of link exchange if you will.

Though I can't see any connection to nudity there. Unless you're walking through the woods and a "physical plant" gets its thorns caught in your clothes, tearing them off. Or if you have the "beginner's luck" of getting caught up in some campus hazing.

I see that "acme" and "palindrome" were names of puzzle creators in this game. So they were... Even if this is irrelevant to this puzzle, it is quite relevant to the LTPF in general is it seems these are real-world lateral puzzles. Maybe we can convince them to do one that involves posting things on the LTPF--a bit of link exchange if you will. Depends...anyone have connections to anyone at MIT?

Though I can't see any connection to nudity there. Unless you're walking through the woods and a "physical plant" gets its thorns caught in your clothes, tearing them off. Or if you have the "beginner's luck" of getting caught up in some campus hazing. This is the final link, explained below:

All of which are names of past winners (and therefore also hosts) of the MIT Mystery Hunt.

And good luck to Metaphysical Plant this coming MLKJ weekend!

Suddenly, the screen flickers, shudders, and finally explodes, tiny bits of electronic screen flying across the room. After recovering from the shock of the explosion, you take a peek inside the safe, and see...

Well, spin it then! You take the top out of the safe and spin it on the table. It keeps spinning...and spinning...and spinning...

All of a sudden, you hear the locked door swing open. Snapped out of your transfixed gaze, you turn to see what looks like a man, wearing a silver-and-black spacesuit-type-thing, with a jet-black veil covering his face. He looks - at least, you think he looks - straight at you, and asks, "Do you know what's going on?"

Tell him that the top is spinning. (That's what's going on...) He appears to sigh. "Do you know what's been going on?" This time, it is definitely more forceful, almost as if you should know what is going on...what is happening.

That top, by the way, has not even wobbled. That's got to mean something.

But in any case, you snatch the spinning top off the table, point it at him, and shout that you are dreaming. As you pocket the top, the man nods, then asks, "Would you like to go back?" In response, you nod, to which he replies, "Do you remember what it felt like?"

Confused, you stumble over your words, but simply respond, "No, I don't."

"Then this might help," the veiled man says, before pulling out what looks like a detonator. Before you can react, he pushes the button.

You hear a soft explosion below you, and suddenly, the floor gives way, and you start to fall...again.

As you fall, these past events flash before your eyes - going backwards from the floor giving way to your arrival in the giant cube - until you black out.

A sharp *thud* awakens you, as you have landed and are no longer falling. You look around - you're back in the shed from the very, very begining. In a pile on the floor, you find everything you'd had in the first game (everything that you'd placed on one of the pillars, that is, plus the 10 letters).

Shaking yourself, you decide to check your pockets. Inside one pocket, you pull out Brigitte's note, still in its envelope. In the other one, you find...

...that top.

You ponder to yourself, "What in the world is going on now?" as you absentmindedly place the top on the wooden floor and give it a spin. The top spins unwaveringly at first, but soon, it begins to wobble, and...

"Inception," dear Kaylee... One of few movies I have gotten to watch in theatres in recent years. According to its website, it is "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind. This summer your mind is the scene of the crime." Despite studio's insistence on odd use of weird slangy word 'actioner,' it WAS actually quite an interesting movie - kind of a sci-fi thriller thing.